How Do Electric Composting Toilets Work?

What are Electric Composting toilets?

Unlike conventional toileting system, these are special types of toilets that do not use water or require litter water to flush away the waste. In compositing toilets waste is blended with dust or peat moss and the combination is left to the formation of fertilizer.

These toilets are specifically designed to make use of the natural process of decomposition and the cycle of evaporation to convert the waste. The waste in a toilet is mostly water and this system evaporates the water and releases it back into the atmosphere using venting methods. The remaining solid waste is gradually converter to fertilizers by the process of decomposition. These fertilizers are then used in the soil as natural food components and a very good resource of nutrient for plants.

The process is similar in ways a normal garden composter work. However, with this technology, the composting chamber is used to manipulate the environment to speed up the decomposition process. Composting toilets come in two designs. The self-contained design under which the chamber is placed beneath the bowl. These composting toilets are commonly found in boats, RVs or small houses. The second design is the central or remote composting toilets. In this system, the toilet is designed to move the waste to a central location elsewhere, that could be a basement or a location outside the house.

Why Install an Electronic Composting Toilet?

The technology is far superior to the one used in regular toilets. Starting with the basic advantages this system created less smell than a conventional toilet. As it separates the liquid from the solid waste, it does not create the regular sewage smell that results from using water to flush the waste. Therefore this keeps out the smells and keeps the air fresh.

The electrical composting toilets have fans and built-in ventilation that draws away the bad odors from the inside of the house instead of letting the odors linger in the house. At worst the compost toilet system can smell like natural fresh dirt.

Electrical composting toilets save a lot of water. Instead of using gallons and gallons of fresh water every day to drain away the waste, you use the natural method of decomposition to rid away the waste and turn it into useful fertilizer that can be used as soil and animal feeding.

Nutrient-rich minerals for the gardens and landscaping are often expensive and here with this process, you will be turning your own waste into fertilizers for your garden and plants.

The electrical compositors are easy to install. They come with easy to follow instructions for setting up the system and how to use and service it regularly without any complications.

How do Electric Composting Toilets Work?

An electric composting toilet can be used for both self-contained or a central system. The objective of the apparatus is to retain the right moisture level and two maintain carbon-nitrogen balance and control the temperature for the aerobic bacteria to work naturally and decompose the solid waste. There are composting toilets that make use of electricity to enhance the process of composting. For example, a small electrical fan creates good air flow for the ventilation line and this further speed up the process of decomposition.

Wondering how do electric composting toilets work? The standard electrical composting toilet functions in the following manner:

Controlling the Moisture

The system works to controlling the moisture levels as a high level of moisture kills the oxygen-breathing aerobic bacteria. In the basic operation, the urine is diverted into a separate container. The composting toilets also extract out the moisture from the solid waste and this is done with the help of a fan in the ventilation line that keeps circulating air. Since most solid wastes are about 70 percent water the ventilation process further reduces the waste level by about 90 percent.

Maintaining the Carbon-nitrogen balance

With the proper urine disposal system installed the nitrogen buildup is controlled in the compost pile, all the same, carbon-rich materials are added to maintain a bacteria-friendly carbon and nitrogen environment. The natural materials used include peat, coconut fiber, and sawdust to bring carbon and nitrogen into balance.

Controlling the Temperature

The electric system keeps the temperature viable for aerobic bacteria to survive. The system comes with built-in thermostats and sensor to monitor the temperature in the compositor.

The Duration of the Process

This mainly depends on the size of the toilet and the number of times it is used. The longer a waste composts the better are the results. Small toilets need to be checked regularly and large systems need to be emptied after every few weeks. A larger network of this systems can be cleared every six months.

What to do with the compost?

You must confirm your local laws on disposal of compost. Your manufactures manuals for your electrical compost also contain instructions on how to deal with the compost. You installation also allows for add-ons such as garbage bag right at the disposal to move the waste easily. You don’t even have to see the waste in most cases. The waste can be moved straight from the garbage bags to your garden as fertilizers or collected by the local trash management.

If you want to use the waste as fertilizer it is best to use it on non-edible plants. This is a good alternative to other fertilizer products as it comes from your own waste.

Installation of Electrical Composting toilet?

The system is easy to install and most people either do it themselves or hire the services of a local handyman. The most technical part of the installation is to set up the ventilation. In this installation, an intake line is taken through the wall, and an exhaust line is taken through the roof. Due to the installation of ventilators, it is preferred that the toilet is set up near an exterior wall. There are many companies that are manufacturing Composting toilets and good deals at discounted prices are available.

One thought to “How Do Electric Composting Toilets Work?”

To achieve the highly effective flushes that are achieved with smaller volumes of water, all the lower water use toilets have an enhanced flushing system. Although the newer system varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, rather than the flap valve that was used on older toilets, the water conserving toilets use a siphon system that boosts the power of the flush.